Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lift adjuster for adjusting seating furniture and/or reclining furniture, with a housing and an adjustment bracket, wherein the adjustment bracket is maintained in the housing and can be partially pulled out of the housing. Furthermore, the invention relates to seating and/or reclining furniture with two components adjustable with respect to each other, preferably comprising a backrest, a head part, a foot part and/or an armrest, wherein the two components are connected via a lift adjuster.
Description of Related Art
In order to improve the comfort for the user, numerous pieces of seating and reclining furniture, such as armchairs, sofas, couches and beds can be adjusted by the user. The adjustability relates to, for example backrests, head parts, foot parts and/or armrests which can be adjusted for example in the inclination and/or height thereof. So-called lift adjusters have proven themselves to be able to provide corresponding adjustability. Lift adjusters comprise a housing and an adjustment bracket, which can be partially pulled out of the housing. The adjustment bracket bears a spring-loaded latching element, which latches successively into receiving cavities provided along the housing for this purpose as a result of the spring force when the adjustment bracket is pulled out. The receiving cavities and the latching element are, in this respect, matched to each other such that the adjustment bracket cannot be slid back into the housing again after latching in a position predetermined by the receiving cavity. This is prevented by the positive engagement of the latching element into the corresponding receiving cavity. Pulling out the adjustment bracket further from the same position can, however, be carried out without problems. In order to be able to bring the adjustment bracket back into the initial position, the adjustment bracket must initially be removed from the housing to an end position. In this respect, the latching element is blocked such that it cannot engage in the receiving cavities provided there when the adjustment bracket is slid back. When the adjustment bracket is pulled out of the housing again, the latching element is, however, reactivated and as a result it again latches successively into the receiving cavities provided along the housing.
The adjustment bracket of known lift adjusters is typically connected to the component to be adjusted, for example in the form of a backrest, head support, foot support or armrest, while the housing of the lift adjuster is fixed to a component, with respect to which the component to be adjusted should be adjusted. This can, in this respect in particular, be a supporting element of the furniture such as for example a frame of the furniture or a seating frame of the same. If the component to be adjusted is adjusted, i.e. for example pulled out or pivoted, the adjustment bracket is partially removed from the housing and remains in a position in which the latching element of the adjustment bracket positively engages into a receiving cavity of the housing. In this position, the component to be adjusted can be loaded by the user, without it leading to an accidental backwards adjustment. Further adjustment in the pull-out direction of the adjustment bracket is, in this respect however, possible, whereby the latching element engages into another receiving cavity. In order to move the component to be adjusted back into the initial position thereof, the component to be adjusted must initially be further adjusted until the adjustment bracket arrives in an end position. From this end position, the adjustment bracket can again be slid fully into the housing and by backwards adjustment of the adjustable component into the initial position thereof. Starting from this position, a readjustment, for example pivoting or pulling out the component to be adjusted is possible.
What is disadvantageous in the known lift adjusters is, however, that the adjustment bracket can only be locked in a few positions. The adjustment bracket also has to be pulled out quite far from the last locking position in order to block the latching element for the adjustment bracket sliding back. The adjustment bracket also has to be pulled out quite far from the maximum slid-in position until the latching element is active again and it can latch into the first receiving cavity. The corresponding adjustment paths between the end positions and the first or the last receiving cavity are also called release paths and should be short for easy operability.
Consequently, an object underlying the present invention is to design and refine the lift adjusters, seating and/or reclining furniture of the type mentioned in the introduction in each case such that more comfortable adjustment can take place.
This object is achieved with a lift adjuster according to the present invention in that at least one clamping element is provided displaceable with respect to the adjustment bracket between a clamping position and at least one adjustment position in that the at least one clamping element is received in a clamping manner in the clamping position in a clamping gap between the adjustment bracket and the housing such that the adjustment bracket is prevented from sliding into the housing.